Current-motor.



J. MESSINA. CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED OCT 3, 1908. 922,935, Patented May 25, 1909.

SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. MESSINA. 0031mm MOTOR. APPLIOATION FILED DOT. 3,

Patented Ma 25, 1909.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mmutoz 1n: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

PATENT ()FFICE.

I JOSEPH ME SSINA, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

I No. 922,935. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Application filed October 3, 1908. Serial No. 455,990.

To all whom'it may concern:

. Be it known that I, Josnrn MEssINA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at New i Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Current-Motors, of whlch the following is a specification;

My invention relates to current motors of the kind adapted to be secured in streams and sunk to a greater or less extent, and it consists 'inthe peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described and claimed; 7 a i In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constituting a practical embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal-central section of the apparatus, taken in the plane indicated by the .line 3 3 ofFig. 2 Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection taken in the plane of the line 4-4 of Figs. land 3. Fig.5 is a longitudinal-vertical section, taken throughone of the apartments d of the float and the rotary pump therein.

Similar letters designate corresponding I parts in all of the views of the drawings, re-

adapted to exclude and deflect drift wood and the like without materially obstructing the passage of the water; apartments (1 for attendants of the apparatus, disposed at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the float, and having windows; flights of stairs f, Fig. 2, designed to enable the attendants to conveniently reach different parts of the apparatus; and a chamber g which occupies the lowermost portion of the float.

Whenit is desired to sink the float A to a greater or less extent, water in greater or less quantity is let into the chamber 9 through a valve B, the stem '71 of which extends up wardly to a point within convenient reach of a erson standing on one of the platforms i o' theapparatus. When on the other hand it is desired to exhaust water from the chamber g, a valve'C in a pipe D is opened; the said pipe D being interposed, as shown, be-

tween the chamber 9 and the induction conduit of one of the pumps presently described. Located in the water-way a of the float A are wheels E, preferably of the type shown, designed to derive motion from the current of the stream, incidental to the passage of said current through the lower portion of the water-way. The said wheels E are fixed on shafts F, journaled in the side Walls of the water-way a, and also fixed on the shafts F are the rotary drums G of rotary pumps II, of well-known type, located in one of the apartments 01. The rotary pumps H have induction conduits I connected with the stream' and with one of which the before mentioned pipe D communicates, and said pumps also have eduction conduits J designed to supply water to an elevated tank, presently described.

At this point I desire to make it clear that while I prefer to employ rotary pumps, of the type shown or of any other type consonant with the purpose of my invention, I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the same inasmuch as pumps of any kind adapted to derive motion from the shafts F may be employed without involving departure from the scope of my claimed invention.

K is a trough fixed in the float A, above the wheels E, and open at its rear end, Fig. 3.

L is a water wheel, preferably of the type shown, located in the trough K and fixed on a shaft M from which power may be taken to drive machinery of various kinds, and N is a closed tank supported above the trough IC and wheel L and designed to be supplied with water under pressure by the eduction conduits J of the pumps H. The said tank N is provided with a valved discharge pipe P, disposed tangentially to the wheel L, and is also provided with a comparatively large discharge pipe R. This latter is equipped on its horizontal portion with two depending, valved spouts r s, and on its vertical portion with three valved spouts t u and 12, disposed tangentially to the wheel L.

In the practical operation of my improvements, the wheels E derive motion from the current of the stream and actuate the pum )s H, and the said pumps, in turn, supply t e closed tank N with a strong head of water. From this it follows that when the valves of the pipe P and the several spouts r s t a and v are opened, the said pipe and spouts will serve to direct strong streams against and the same may be readily accomplished by powerfully rotate the wheel L, from which power may, as before described, be taken to drive machinery of various kinds. hen, incidental to the operation of the apparatus, it becomes necessary to sink the apparatus,

opening the valve B so as to let water into the chamber 9 until the apparatus is sunk to the extent desired, whereupon said valve B is closed. Then when it becomes necessary to raise the apparatus the valve O in the pipe D is opened, whereupon one of the pumps H will exhaust water from the chamber g and raise the float to the extent desired, when, of course, the valve C will be closed.

The construction herein illustrated. and described constitutes the best practical embodiment of my invention of which I am aware, but it is obvious that in the future practice of the invention such changes or modifications may be made as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as defined in the claim appended.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters -Patent, is:

A current motor, comprising a float adapted to be disposed in a stream and having a longitudinal central Water-Way, and a chamber disposed in its lower most portion and below said waterway, and also having a chamber at one side of the water-way, and 1 an elevated platform, a pipe for effecting connection between the stream and the said lower most chamber, a valve in said pipe having a stem extending upwardly to a point within convenient reach of a person on the said elevated platform, a water wheel arranged in the Water-way, a longitudinally arranged trough located above the water wheel and open at its rear end, a second water wheel disposed in said trough, a closed tank supported above the second named water wheel and having valved spouts positioned to direct streams of water against the same, a pump arranged in the chamber at the side of the water-way and connected with and adapted to be actuated by the first named water wheel, a conduit intermediate the stream and the said pump, a conduit intermediate the pump and the said elevated and closed tank, and a valved conduit effecting connection between the first named c011- duit and the chamber in the lower most portion of the float, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH MESSINA.

itnesses GAETANO FAVALORO, GUISEPPE PEOARARO. 

